


Of Crosses and Confessions

by TheWildWoods



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Case Fic, Coming Out, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, No Mary Morstan, Pre-Reichenbach, Religion, Religious Discussion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 04:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19124323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWildWoods/pseuds/TheWildWoods
Summary: It takes a case involving a church to dredge up some old resentments, and push the duo into learning something new about each other.





	Of Crosses and Confessions

(If anyone is reading this right now, it's still a draft. I just posted it to save it. If you like what you see, I'd suggest coming back later. Ta.)

The relationship between Dr. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes was a complex and unconventional one, one that many did not understand, and yet something about it worked so well for both parties.

When John had first met Sherlock, he had just begun to recover from being shot, and everything else that being in the army entails. He was, in short, a damaged man who wasn't exactly  _aimless_ , per se, but there was something missing from his life. That old spark, the spice, the hint of danger that he had grown so accustomed to whilst in Afghanistan. And then Sherlock... happened. A fierce, passionate, intense relationship had immediately sprung up between them, the likes of which was a first for both. John wasn't sure if it was Sherlock who had given his life meaning again, or if Sherlock had simply helped him find it, but either way, John was back.

When Sherlock first met John, he was the genius detective--observant yet aloof. The face the world saw, the one he chose to display, was cold and analytical. It said  _I am only here for one purpose. My work is my life, and that is the sole reason for my existence._  And yet - and yet that certainly wasn't the extent of the paradox that was Sherlock Holmes. How could someone who plays the violin with such genuine passion, for no reason other than their own enjoyment, truly be so emotionless? And there were the drugs - there must be a reason he started in the first place. Was it, perhaps, that he sensed there was something missing?

And then John found his place in Sherlock's life. And Sherlock had found that indescribable thing that was missing - someone who liked him, enjoyed being around him, for who he was. He didn't have to hide the quirks of his personality around John, his rather strange and obscure interests, and, of course, the deductions.

Not that he would admit that to anyone, of course. He could barely admit how important John was to him to himself.

* * * * *

Inside the flat, a phone began to ring. It wasn't John's, his mobile was dead.

"Sherlock, you going to get that?" he called from inside the bathroom, brushing his teeth.

No reply.

"Sherlock?"

Of course. John spat his toothpaste into the sink, the sprinted towards the kitchen where he presumed the sound was coming from. John sighed in slight exasperation at the sight of Sherlock sitting, oblivious, in a chair about a foot away from where his mobile was.

John picked it up. "Hello?"

"John?" It was Lestrade.

"Yeah, sorry. Sherlock wasn't going to answer."

"Got a case for you. Come down to the station ASAP, it's a good one."

After bringing Sherlock out of his mind and into reality, the two took a cab and headed down to meet Lestrade, speculating about what the case could be.

"I don't reckon it's a murder. He did call it ordinary, after all, and murders are fairly standard for us," John said as they pulled up to the Yard.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course it's a murder. Predictable as Lestrade is, I'd wager that he was just trying to get us down here faster," Sherlock scoffed as they walked into the building.

They walked into Lestrade's office, arms brushing against each other (but not the hands, never the hands).

"Gentlemen," Lestrade greeted them, nodding his head in their direction. "So, I'll admit, this case isn't strictly urgent in the way that there isn't a specified time constraint on it--"

"Ha," Sherlock muttered into John's ear.

" _If_ I may continue sans interruptions," Lestrade said with a pointed look in Sherlock's direction. "It's not immediately urgent, and it's not a murder, but--"

"Ha!" John called in Sherlock's ear.

Lestrade groaned. "Will you  _please_ let me finish?"

Silence.

"There is another DI in Exeter to whom I owe a favour, and now it seems she is calling it in. Her name is Aditi Khatri, and she called me last night about a case that was troubling her. Several churches, all of them Catholic, seem to have been targeted by an arsonist. Each one has had members who had a belonging - a purse, an empty baby carriage, even a car - that was lit on fire in a public place by an unknown person."

  
(A big church in Exeter, Devon is being targeted by an arsonist. Certain members are having their cars/houses lit on fire. They don't know the common thread at first, but soon find that it's the church. They are put on the case because a close friend of Lestrade's works there, asked Lestrade for help, and he recommended them. They were to go undercover. The church is having a big event about adapting to the modern world soon.)

  
Take the train, are provided with a small motel room with two beds by the local police force.

After finishing up with Lestrade, John and Sherlock packed their bags and caught a train out of London. 

  
Once there, are briefed by a Lestrade's DI friend.

  
Go to look around.

  
Talk to the victims, find the common thread is the church (Pious Hearts)†

  
Awkward "was that him flirting with me" moment.

  
Sherlock is dismissive of religion and doesn't understand why people use it

  
John comments on how it's weird to be back in a church after not going to one for so long.

  
Talk to some priests/church people at the church about who might be doing this

John talks about how he felt he couldn't talk freely to his family because of religion

  
Coming out scene for John as bi.

Find out that it was a church member who discovered that they were funneling church money that was to go to educating children, so she was lighting their belongings on fire as a warning  
On the train back, they talk about their lives as teenagers. Relationships, religion, parents, etc. John asks if Sherlock has ever been in a relationship.  
Coming out scene for Sherlock as gay (he says yes, with a couple of guys over the years, but none of them healthy).

When they get back, they tell Lestrade how it went

  
Next day, a murder to investigate

  
Chase scene (person gets away)

  
Classic "after an adrenaline fuelled, dangerous event, two people end up being pinned against a wall, breathing heavily. They gaze into each others' eyes before letting go."

  
They don't speak of it that night  
Next day, Lestrade calls and tells them that they have to wait it out to catch the perp, so they are off the hook until at least that evening.  
John works on paperwork for the medical clinic while Sherlock does chemistry stuff  
They have lunch at the flat. The feelings are out. The kiss.  
The end?

**Author's Note:**

> Me: How should I work through my own personal history and grievances regarding religion?  
> Me: ...


End file.
